A bonfire in the middle of winter had seemed like a horrible idea at first, but enough students had insisted that he acquiesced to the idea and approved it. In the end, it was a big enough fire and there were enough students gathered that there was no need for winter coats. That didn't stop Abigail, who was sitting a little too close for comfort, from shivering and voicing her annoyance.

"I'm cold," Abigail stated with an irritated huff and tilted her head towards Arthur expectantly.

Arthur furrowed his brow and gave the girl a skeptical look. Just what did she want him to do about it? Change the weather? But then it occurred to him, she wanted him to give her his jacket. If she'd just follow the dress code and wore the sweater or blazer, it wouldn't be a problem, but he was a gentleman, after all, so he moved to pull off the garment to give to her.

In a move that shocked him senseless, she instead grabbed a hold of his arm and pulled it around her as she sidled closer to his side. If he'd been the slightest bit cold before, he wasn't now. Instead he wondered if she could feel how hot he'd become from her close proximity.

"So you know, if you were cold, I wouldn't do this," she said flatly, without even the slightest dusting of color on her cheeks. Arthur just sputtered in reply. Of course she wouldn't notice or care that she was making him very uncomfortable. Insufferable girl.

When he confiscated the liquor the "Bad Friends Trio" as they liked to call themselves had snuck in, he wound up in the student council room drinking more of it than he probably should have. Of course the fairies picked that moment to come tease him about how sweet he'd looked with Abigail and asked when he was planning to confess his feelings.

"I do not fancy Abigail. That's rubbish. …rubbish," he slurred, not even convincing himself even in his drunken state.

The fairies just giggled into their hands as they flitted above his head.

April 20XX

"Mornin' Eyebrows! I've got something I want to show you!" Abigail said brightly as she pushed off the wall she'd been leaning against outside of Arthur's dorm room.

Arthur stared down at his watch. Seven thirty in the morning and she was already starting. That didn't bode well for the rest of the day. He ran his hand over his face and walked past Abigail as he addressed her. "What is it now?"

"Well, you gotta come with me first! Come on!" She grabbed onto his hand and tore through the hallway, dragging him behind her. Arthur's cheeks flared up instantly at the contact, and he desperately pushed down thoughts of how neatly her hand fit in his in favor of shouting indignant protests to being dragged so unceremoniously in front of the other bewildered students. As usual, she ignored him and kept going until she burst through the doors to the courtyard where she finally released his hand.

Arthur didn't have time to miss the feeling because the sight before him successfully quashed all other thoughts he might have had. His jaw dropped. It was a plane. No, not just a plane. A fighter aircraft. In the middle of the school's courtyard.

"What is this?!" Arthur finally choked out after the initial shock wore off. Abigail ran in front of him towards the jet.

"With this I'll finally end your reign of terror forever!" she exclaimed with a rather bizarre laugh and then climbed into the cockpit.

"Abigail?! What in the world are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" she huffed and put on a pair of goggles. "I'm gonna blast the student council room right out of the building so the poor students of this school will never have to live in fear of your tyranny ever again!"

"A-Abigail, stop! You can't be serious!" Arthur shouted and started running towards the plane as she started up its engine with a roar. "You git! Stop this at once!"

"Hey, Eyebrows?" Arthur whipped his head up towards the cockpit to see Abigail leaning over the edge with an amused smirk on her face. "April Fools."

May 20XX

It was his last chance.

Arthur glanced at Abigail out of the corner of his eye for the umpteenth time in the past hour. She was chewing on the end of her pencil as she did her calculus homework, completely harmless and nothing to be afraid of. So what was he waiting for? He sat back in his chair and opened his mouth, then quickly shut it and busied himself with his history notes before she could notice anything was amiss. He'd blown it again.

He'd been trying for weeks to ask Abigail to attend the dance at the end of the month with him, but had lost his nerve each time he'd attempted to do so. It was just a dance and it was just Abigail, what was the problem? Actually, she should be honored that he would deem to take her! It's not like it meant anything. Yes, that was the ticket. Arthur steeled himself with new resolve as Abigail gathered up her things and followed the other students out of the library.

"Abigail, may I speak with you?" Arthur asked with absolutely no waver in his voice.

"What is it, Eyebrows?" Abigail replied and stopped to face him.

"About the dance at the end of this month…I, well…" With Abigail staring at him, he choked on the words once again.

"Yeah, I'm not much for dances and stuff like that, but Ivan asked me, so I guess I better go, huh?"

Arthur felt his stomach drop somewhere near his feet. "Ivan?"

"Yeah, the big guy? Always smiling, a little creepy? He seems like a nice enough guy," she mused and gave Arthur a look that might have been her seeking his approval of the situation.

Arthur simply nodded and ushered her out of the library.

He went to the dance anyway. It was his obligation as the student council president, he told himself. He danced with a few of the female students who timidly requested his time, but he was always looking over their shoulders. He wasn't looking for Abigail, he wasn't looking for Abigail. But every time he saw blonde hair, his heart raced.

Finally, there she was. Rather than some barely there dress like he'd been expecting, she was dressed rather tastefully, covered up, and did she have flowers in her hair? Arthur noticed that she was rather clumsy on her feet as she danced, and although he knew it was quite the opposite, she looked fragile in Ivan's arms.

Arthur straightened his tie and in a sudden burst of nerve and confidence, he made his way through the crowd towards the pair and tapped Ivan on the shoulder.

He almost crumbled under the rather intimidating aura the tall boy exuded, but he held his head up defiantly. "I'll be cutting in, if you don't mind, Ivan." It wasn't a question. He swept Abigail away, who smiled at him with barely concealed amusement while he tried to suppress his growing blush.

June 20XX

Arthur packed up the remainder of his personal belongings from the president's desk in the student council room and carefully wiped off the surface for the incoming president. Some idealist who would likely throw the school back into chaos, he thought with great distaste. Not that he wanted to stick around that dreadful place any longer.

But try to deny it though he might, he did feel a certain ache in his heart knowing what, or rather who, he was leaving behind. After that day, he might never see Abigail again.

He was most certainly going to have blood pressure problems later in life, and he couldn't remember what it felt like to not have a headache anymore, but that girl was as commonplace in his life as teatime. He knew he'd go home and work at his desk there, and he'd be expecting her to burst through the door to tell him she'd blown up the science lab again. He thought he might even hear her voice calling him "Eyebrows" despite his strong dislike of the nickname. Eyebrows, eyebrows…

"Eyebrows!" Abigail shouted right in his face and he jumped backed in shock. "What kinda trance were you in? I've been saying your name for a few minutes now!"

"What do you want, Abigail?" Arthur asked in irritation, as irritation was the only way he knew to mask his true feelings.

Abigail looked hurt for an instant before she puffed out her cheeks in indignation and leaned over the desk to glare at him. "I come to say goodbye and that's the response I get? Some friend you are!"

I'm going to miss you. Arthur thought, but rather than saying so, he just got even more irritated. "I don't recall us ever being friends, Abigail. You decided that on your own without anyone's input like with everything else you do. Thoughtlessly."

Abigail's lip trembled, but she lifted her chin in mock defiance. "Well! I thought you'd want to stay in contact with an awesome person like myself, but once a hardass always a hardass, eh Eyebrows?"

She turned to leave and Arthur panicked. It couldn't end that way. Without thinking, he raced around the desk and caught at Abigail's hand to tug her back towards him. She started to protest, but he cupped her cheek and, in a move that surprised him, kissed her. She froze for an instant, but only an instant, and then relaxed and reached a hand up to grip at his arm. He pulled away, his face on fire, and cleared his throat awkwardly. Likely she'd carry on obliviously like she always did.

But, finally, her cheeks were also bright red and she looked a little sheepish as she scratched at her head. An awkward silence hung in the air, but then the moment abruptly passed. Her eyes were bright and there was a small smile on her lips, half smug and half elated.

"Took you long enough, Eyebrows," she laughed with a goofy grin.

He rolled his eyes and said firmly, "Arthur."

Arthur didn't give her the chance to respond before he kissed her again, and this time she threw her arms around him and responded eagerly.

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